Day 2 | Cleansing The Temple
I feel my heart swell as I think about Jesus walking into the city, and all the emotions he would have been feeling walking into this week. It says in scripture that once Jesus entered the city, he went to the Temple. I can’t help, but think about the story of Jesus as a teenager when his parents accidentally left him behind in Jerusalem and they found him in the Temple talking to religious leaders. So while I don’t know the exact feelings Jesus had, I can imagine this Temple was very special to him, not only because it is His Father’s house of prayer; but also because he had a pivotal experience there when he was younger.
He walks into this special place and sees merchants buying and selling, Matthew 21:12-13 “He overturned the tables of money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, "It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!” To my knowledge, this is the only time we see Jesus react in somewhat of anger: “he overturned the tables,” this just makes me love Jesus more. While he lived sinless on Earth, he understands the human experience. And I can’t help but think about the heightened emotions he must have felt knowing he was walking into his last week on Earth, and then to walk into a Holy Temple, expecting to see people worshiping, praying or in discussion of God, but instead sees that the Temple has turned into a Mall basically.
It goes on to say that, “the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. And the children were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Take notice who knew who he was (the blind, the lame and the children), while the Chief Priests were indignant. Okay stick with me, because the next story that Matthew adds in after the Cleansing of the Temple just has to be looked at.
Jesus woke up hungry, saw a fig tree and was for sure excited to go grab a fig to snack on because figs are sweet so you know, we know how that feels ha! It’s like seeing a donut for us I could imagine. But there was no fruit on the tree, and Jesus said “May no fruit ever come from you again!” This is another surprising response to me, and the tree completely withered on the spot. I thought I read this wrong at first, because surely the miracle worker would just say something like, “tree, fruit grow now” and it would grow right? His disciples were astonished by this, and asked him how the tree withered so quickly. Matthew 21:21 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, Be lifted up and throw into the sea, it will be done. And if you believe you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Jesus is showing his disciples not only how their faith can affect things, but also their words. He caused a whole tree to wither. How often do you think about the words you speak over your life, over the people in your life? We have the power in our words, our beliefs and in our prayers to wither or to plant seeds. Take a few minutes to write down seed planting statements over your life and over your family's lives.
Father God, thank you for the revelation that you truly “get me”, you see me and you love me. I am so grateful for Jesus, for his life and for his teachings. I pray that you continue to reveal your heart to me and that you pull my heart closer to yours everyday. I am a forever student of your love, shine your light through me wherever I go. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
More reading Matthew 21: 12-22